Good Help is Hard to Find
by KatieZfan
Summary: NWZ. The pueblo has been too quiet without Zorro around. But the tavern has been busy and Victoria is swamped with cleanup. So Diego offers to help with the dishes. However, the Alcalde wants a different kind of help. I do NOT own the characters; I just play with them. No infringement of any copyright is ever intended.


Good Help Is Hard to Find

By KatieZFan

April 2015

Two months had come and gone since the pueblo had endured the short reign of terror by the King's Emissary Gilberto Risendo, who turned out to be Don Alejandro's son and Diego's twin brother, stolen at birth by the midwife. The end came when Gilberto and Diego had fought with swords in the de la Vega's front garden patio, Risendo bent on killing Diego and his father, Don Alejandro.

Alcalde DeSoto had seen the man pull a gun on Diego, and he had quickly brought his own gun to bear on the tyrant, killing him before Diego could be shot. The Emissary's men were dismissed by DeSoto from the town and the Alcalde and the lancers again took over control of the pueblo.

DeSoto had been profoundly altered by the way he himself was almost killed by the evil Emissary. If Zorro hadn't cut the ropes that tied DeSoto to the two carts trying to pull him into pieces, he would have died a horrible death, devised by the Emissary's twisted humor. Once again Zorro had rescued him, _him_, the Alcalde, the man who was supposed to be in charge of governing the pueblo.

But the Alcalde had been almost as bad as the Emissary, the emphasis on 'almost.' Seeing how evil the man had acted had caused DeSoto to have second, third and fourth thoughts about the way he handled matters in his office as Alcalde. Shortly after Risendo's death, DeSoto found himself seeking out Padre Benitez for counsel.

In order to better manage the pueblo, he sought the help and experience of Don Alejandro de la Vega. DeSoto began to treat the people more fairly regarding laws and taxes, and together he and Don Alejandro had made plans to make repairs on several things in the city that needed improving.

DeSoto also had the lancers take down the "Wanted" posters for Zorro. He applied to Diego as editor of the newspaper to create and print fifty copies of a new poster stating there was no more reward for Zorro and that Zorro was no longer a wanted man.

Diego's eyes had widened with shock and skepticism when DeSoto asked him to make the new posters. However, he quickly covered it with a comment about how well the Alcalde had been doing, working with Don Alejandro to govern the pueblo well and saying how Zorro probably wasn't needed anymore. DeSoto only nodded, making no comment about Diego's reaction.

The Alcalde knew the reason Zorro even existed was to fight the injustice that DeSoto and the former Alcalde Luis Ramone had inflicted on the pueblo. Now that there was no injustice being done, Zorro was suddenly no longer needed.

DeSoto couldn't actually give Zorro a pardon; only the king of Spain could do that. But he figured taking away the reward and stating that Zorro was no longer a wanted man would do the same thing, if no one in authority challenged him on it. And so far, no one had. Neither the governor of California nor anyone else had done anything to call him on it, even after he had sent many of the new posters to the surrounding cities in California and other nearby states.

But it would have been nice to have help training the lancers to do a better job at capturing real bandits. For that to be accomplished, however, the Alcalde would definitely need Zorro's aid. But he doubted that Zorro would ever volunteer for the job, especially since the black bandit had hardly been seen in the last two months.

Los Angeles had become a fairly peaceful town, for the most part, with no need for Zorro to rescue anyone. So that left only one problem - that of a certain senorita. Victoria Escalante was not saying much, but from what people could gather, she had not seen or heard from Zorro, and she was _not_ happy about it.

**Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**

"You've been awfully quiet lately, Victoria." Diego sipped his lemonade watching Victoria pick up the last dirty dishes left by a large crowd of Friday lunch customers. Everyone else was taking their siesta and Victoria was still cleaning up.

Pilar had left right after serving lunch to help prepare for a family celebration. Her niece was turning 15 years old the next day and the Quinceanera party was planned for Saturday morning, with much still to prepare.

As a result, Victoria was cleaning up all by herself after lunch. Diego rose from his seat and went to the kitchen. Finding soapy water in the sink, he rolled up his sleeves and began to wash the dirty dishes on the counter.

When Victoria came into the kitchen with the last of the dirty dishes, she gasped at the sight of Diego's soapy arms, staring at the muscles revealed by the pushed-up caballero sleeves.

"You don't have to do that, Diego!" She came over and tried to move him out of the way but his feet were firmly planted and she found she couldn't move him. She smiled to herself at the strength he so effortlessly revealed.

Diego turned slightly, leaning toward Victoria with the intention of placing a light kiss on the top of her hair. He stopped himself just in time. "You needed help, Amiga, and I have done my share of washing dishes in my growing up years," he grinned at her. "My mother made sure I knew how to do all the tasks in the house, from making beds to washing dishes and laundry, emptying chamber pots, dusting the house or beating the rugs in the back yard."

Victoria stared at him, dumbfounded. "I never knew you did that! I thought your servants did it all for you." She put the last dishes down on the counter and picked up a clean towel and started drying the dishes he had just washed.

Diego chuckled, picking up another dish to wash. "Usually they do, but when I was about six my mother started making me do some of the household chores. I didn't do them often, but occasionally she would ask me to clean something or help somewhere, just to remind me of the work it really took to do even simple things."

A faraway look came over his face as he thought of his mother who had died when he was only twelve. "She told me that I should know what kind of work the servants were supposed to do and how much effort it took to do it. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to expect of them, how thoroughly they should do their job, or how hard it was to do it."

Diego regarded at Victoria's comical expression with amusement. "It was good for me to learn how much effort it took to help prepare a meal, beat a rug clean and wash some of my clothes. If everything is done for you, you don't really understand how much work goes into doing it, or the value of having it done." _It also prepared me to take care of certain things, like washing black outfits and repairing them upon occasion, without anyone's help. Except Felipe's, of course, he grinned to himself._

Victoria nodded, stacking the clean plates to the side. "I never thought of it that way, Diego. I never thought you were spoiled. You have pitched in to help me so many times before, and I have always appreciated it. I just never realized that your mother taught you so much about the servants' work."

The rest of the dishes and pots were washed and put away in companionable silence. Victoria studied Diego quietly as he worked untiringly to help her finish cleaning up.

After a few minutes, Diego spoke again. "I had an ulterior motive in helping you today, Victoria." He caught her staring at him and she startled, blushing.

"What motive was that, Diego?" She tried to sound business-like in an effort to hide her nervousness.

"I wanted to talk to you about something I've noticed."

She looked at him then, puzzled. "What have you noticed?" Her gaze was snagged by the intensity in his look, his blue eyes like deep pools of water reflecting a bright summer sky. He usually never looked at her so directly, at least not for long moments, and she felt something inside her shift as he continued to hold her gaze.

"You've been awfully quiet lately, Victoria, for such a talkative lady as yourself," he smiled at her gently. "And you rarely mention Zorro in conversation."

"You always dislike it when I talk about him, Diego," she said quietly.

"I'm not talking about that, Victoria. I'm talking about the fact you don't mention him at all from what I can tell. Haven't you heard from him? With the Alcalde reforming, there's been little need for his services and he has hardly been seen, from what I have heard."

"This is true; Zorro has not been around, from all reports. And he has _not_ been in touch with me." Her face wore an unhappy look. "Not so much as a note."

Diego filled two glasses with lemonade and motioned for her to follow him. They sat down on the bench of a nearby table in the empty tavern and with no one around, he could sit slightly closer to her than usual without appearing forward. There were no overnight guests at the time and it was silent in the usually noisy dining area.

Diego smiled at Victoria, looking at her kindly. "Well, the old saying is, no news is good news."

Victoria made a face and Diego chuckled softly. "I take it that's not true in this case? Have you and Zorro had a disagreement?"

She shook her head, looking into his blue eyes, still amazed by their deep color. Diego took a sip of lemonade, breaking eye contact. "So if you're not at odds with each other, what's the problem?"

"That's what I'd like to know," she sighed longingly. "You would think he would come and talk to me and fulfill his promise, now that DeSoto has reformed and is taking care of the pueblo." She frowned. "I'm not sure he really wants to retire and marry me, actually."

Diego's eyebrows rose. "Why ever not? The romance of the pueblo is fizzling out at the end? After all the promises you've made to each other? Unbelievable."

Victoria looked at him questioningly. "How would you know anything about the promises we've made? I can't believe Zorro would tell you about such things."

"Uh, well, that is, you once said the two of you had made a promise to each other or something like that." He hid behind his lemonade again, trying to conceal his expression.

Slowly Victoria reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out a handkerchief tied in a knot. She regarded him with a curious look. "Do you remember the time a few months ago when you said I looked _'happy as a lamb in a meadow?'_"

Diego nodded, but kept his eyes averted. He remembered very well; it had been two days after Zorro had proposed to her in the cave. Victoria had been sitting at a table in the tavern when he and his father had walked in for lunch. Sergeant Mendoza was in the kitchen helping Pilar because of Victoria's sprained ankle.

His father had complimented Victoria on how radiant she looked before he went to sit with some friends for a business discussion during lunch. Diego had sat down across from her, trying to get her to reveal what she was so 'radiant' about.

"I made a little 'Z' in the air with my finger, and you begged me for details," she laughed. "You said, 'I'm your friend, you can tell me.'"

He chuckled, remembering. "And you said, 'Can you keep a secret? And _I _replied 'certainly!'" Diego grinned at her. "Then you paused teasingly and said, 'Well, so can I!' and you wouldn't tell me," Diego chuckled again.

"I knew I didn't have to tell _you_, Diego." She looked steadily at him, a pretty blush coming over her face. "And I was trying to give you a hint – about me being able to keep a certain secret."

He looked at her blush and thought for a moment about her words. "What do you mean by that, Victoria?" His face wore a guarded look.

Victoria unraveled the knot in the handkerchief, revealing the emerald and diamond ring that Zorro had given her for their engagement. Diego stared at it musingly, trying desperately not to give himself away.

"Zorro had proposed to me two days before that, when he took me to his cave to hide us from the bandits that had chased us when my wagon overturned. He was going to unmask for me, but fear of reprisal from the bandits made him change his mind." She sighed, looking at him carefully.

"He also said he was afraid I only loved the legend and not the man behind the mask. I told him that wasn't true and that he didn't need to be afraid, but I think that fear is what is holding him back from coming to see me now and fulfilling his promise."

Diego looked at her sympathetically. "The man wants to be loved for himself, not the 'hero' everyone thinks they know."

Victoria looked wistfully at him. "But I _do_ love him for himself; it's just that I could not show that love in public any more than he could, lest the Alcalde become suspicious." Her expression became serious. "For me to have acknowledged my love to the man under the mask would have sent him to the gallows as surely as ripping off his mask in public would. Or at least, it would have _in the_ _past_. Now that the Alcalde has reformed, however…." her voice trailed off but her eyes remained on him.

Diego looked astonished. "Do you mean…" His throat constricted and he swallowed with difficulty. He tried again, struggling to remain calm. "Victoria," he whispered, "do you know who Zorro is?"

She smiled at him then, her hand reaching out to cup his cheek lightly. "Si, Diego, I do," she said softly. "I have known for a long time." She gazed lovingly into his eyes as she ran her fingers lightly over his moustache, tracing his lips gently with her fingertips before her hand dropped back into her lap.

Diego sat there frozen in astonishment; yet at the same time his blood began to simmer from the feel of her fingers running over his face. He watched her eyes hold his for a few moments, and then her head dipped down self-consciously. She glanced nervously back at him, and the look on her face told him she was waiting for his reaction to her revelation.

His eyes caught hers then instinctively dropped to her mouth, and he saw her tremble slightly as her eyes darkened and her lips parted in unconscious invitation. Slowly his hand caught her chin and brought it up as he bent to kiss her without the mask for the first time. He drew her closer to him and her arms wound around his neck. Still in shock from her admission, he trembled as the barriers that had always held his emotions in check began to crumble as the kiss deepened.

Breaking apart for air, his forehead touched hers and he looked deeply into her eyes, unable to keep from showing her all the love that he had hidden for so long. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

"I thought that I was helping you by remaining silent and that you would tell me when the time was right. But things have been so quiet lately, and since the Alcalde has reformed you have not been in touch!" She poked him in the chest, a small smile on her lips even as she complained. "I grew tired of waiting, and if you hadn't stayed to help today I would have come out to the hacienda later to talk to you." She gave him a quick kiss then rested her head on his chest, leaning against him.

His arms held her gently as he kissed her hair, resting his chin on her head. He loved the feel of just being able to hold her as Diego. She wasn't angry; _why_ _wasn't she_, was the question. "I thought you would be upset at me for hiding my identity for so long."

Looking up at him, she grinned at his expression. "I was at first, when I figured it out. But then I realized you had to hide Zorro's strong personality from the Alcalde and any authorities who might try to capture and hang you. And I realized also that I couldn't show my love for Diego since it would point the Alcalde straight to Zorro."

Victoria's eyes gleamed. "I was waiting for you to make a move toward me in recent days when I realized that it would still be difficult to be together without making everyone suspicious of Diego, even though Zorro hasn't been seen." She shook her head crossly. "What _are_ we going to do, Diego?"

"Do? What can we do?" Diego stopped, unsure. He looked at Victoria yearningly. If only Zorro were gone for good, he thought… Then he realized how simple the answer was. "We need to get rid of Zorro permanently, to begin with. Then I could try to court you. Father has been nagging me again recently to get married, and he hinted that you would be an excellent choice for my bride."

Diego grinned and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "He loves you like a daughter, you know." His lips pressed butterfly kisses to her forehead and her nose, capturing her lips briefly. "And even though he has only recently learned of my secret identity, I believe he realized a long time ago that his son was secretly in love with you."

A blush caressed her cheeks at his kisses and declaration. "Si, he has been like a father to me ever since my own father passed away. But how can we 'get rid' of Zorro?" A worried frown marred her lovely face and Diego dropped more soft kisses on her cheeks and forehead, causing her to smile.

"There, that's better. I like it when you smile." Watching the pink blush on her face made him warm down to his toes. His fingers caressed her cheek softly, causing the blush to deepen as his admiring gaze roved over her face. Her dark chocolate eyes glowed with desire and he felt like he was drowning in their depths.

Sitting so close on the bench was becoming too tempting, so Diego turned away from her and swung his legs over the bench to sit opposite her. But that brought its own problems. Even though their feet were on different sides of the bench, they ended up facing each other, their hips touching, and his arms went around her to pull her close again. He shook off the temptation to pull her onto his lap.

"So what is the answer, Diego?" Her arms wound around his waist gently as she laid her head on his chest. Talking was the last thing she wanted to do right now, but they had a problem and it needed to be solved.

He tipped up her head with his hand. Looking warmly into her eyes, he grinned. "Well, recently I received a letter from an old school friend who told me of his broken engagement. He said his fiancée had written a letter to him and called off their plans. They live in different cities and had been separated by family circumstances for almost a year. During that time, she had been thrown into the company of another nice young man who had apparently stolen her heart. All my friend got was a letter, and it broke _his_ heart."

"Do you think Zorro could write me a similar letter? Perhaps he could say he was leaving the pueblo and couldn't marry me like he promised. My heart could break and my best friend Diego could come to my rescue," she sighed, looking at him coyly.

"That is what I had in mind, Preciosa," Diego grinned, his eyes dancing mischievously.

"Do you think it will work?" she giggled softly.

"If you cry hard enough, and then lean on me close enough to cause some gossip." He kissed her again, softly at first, deepening the kiss when she gave a little groan. His hand slipped low on her back and pulled her closer to him, lifting her gently onto his lap. His caresses made her moan with desire and she felt herself melting in his arms.

The sudden noise of the front door shutting broke them apart. Standing inside were Alcalde DeSoto and Sergeant Mendoza. "I was right, Mendoza. Diego is still here." A mocking smile grew on DeSoto's face.

Victoria tried to move away from Diego, but the Alcalde put up his hand. "It's too late for that, Senorita Escalante. After what we both saw, you two have some explaining to do."

Diego helped Victoria stand up carefully, putting an arm around her waist to support her. Shaking, Victoria answered angrily, "Why are you here, Alcalde?"

"I came to see if Diego had a few minutes to talk to me about something important. We did not expect to find you in each other's arms," he smirked. Mendoza looked uncomfortably at his two friends, wishing that he and DeSoto had not walked in when they did.

Diego pulled Victoria closer and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Victoria just received a letter from Zorro, saying he was leaving the pueblo forever and that he could not marry her. She was upset and I was trying to comfort her."

At this DeSoto laughed out loud and Mendoza snickered softly. The Alcalde shook his head. "That was _some comfort_ you were giving her, Diego. She was sitting on your lap. You wasted no time in making _your_ move."

Mendoza spoke up, chuckling. "Oh, Alcalde, Diego has been sweet on Victoria for _years_. Everyone knows that. He never did anything because, well, he was afraid of Zorro." Mendoza grinned. "No one would approach Senorita Victoria while Zorro was still around."

DeSoto looked thoughtfully at the couple. "Is that what happened?"

Victoria looked at Diego. "Sounds good to me," she whispered. "Si, Alcalde," she said out loud. "I have loved Diego for a long time also. I just thought that a caballero like Diego would never be interested in me as a wife. So I kept our relationship like a brother and sister. When Zorro came along, I became enamored with him, hoping that he would 'rescue' me. But he is gone now, and I am alone." She smiled bashfully at the man beside her. "So Diego was 'comforting' me."

DeSoto gave a crooked grin. "Well, I can't say I blame you, Senorita. It's no secret you have wanted to marry and have a family. And Alejandro has been pestering Diego about 'grandbabies' for a long time," he chuckled. "Perhaps you two should go talk to Don Alejandro and begin to make plans."

Diego nodded confidently. "That's a good idea, Ignacio. I believe we will do that – right now," he said, leading Victoria toward the door.

"Perhaps you should go to the stable and saddle her horse first, Diego. Unless you both plan to ride _Esperanza_?"

"Of course. Con permiso?" he bowed over Victoria's hand, the heated look in his eyes making her insides quiver. "Go pack an overnight bag," he said quietly. "There will be much to discuss and I'm sure Father will insist that you stay overnight in the guest room." He squeezed her hand then left through the kitchen's back door, heading for the stable.

"We will miss your cooking, Senorita Victoria." The Sergeant looked very sad. DeSoto gave Mendoza a derisive look. The Sergeant was always interested in his stomach.

"What do you mean, Mendoza?" Victoria asked curiously.

"Well, surely you will live at the hacienda, and as a rich man's wife, you will not need to work for a living."

"I still plan to run the tavern, and cook too, although Diego and I have not discussed it yet."

"I hope that it works out. Your cooking is fantastic, Senorita!"

Victoria flashed Mendoza a smile. "Gracias, Sergeant. Excuse me now, I must go pack," she said, heading up the stairs quickly.

A few minutes later a whinny was heard out front and Diego appeared behind the Alcalde and Mendoza at the front door. "Victoria? If you're ready."

"Coming, Diego." Victoria had just reached the foot of the stairs, a small satchel in her hand.

The military men stood aside on the tavern porch as Diego helped Victoria mount Florinda, then handed her the bag she had packed.

"Diego? May I see you just a minute before you leave?" DeSoto motioned him back inside. "Mendoza, please stay with the Senorita. We will only be a moment."

Diego closed the door quietly behind him as the Alcalde walked past him into the room. Turning around to face the door, he looked at Diego for a moment, and then spoke quietly. "I'll come straight to the point. I need your help."

Diego looked mystified. "What kind of help, Ignacio?"

"Training the lancers, and myself too, if you would."

"What kind of training would you like? Chess? Botany?" Diego looked warily at the man.

DeSoto shook his head firmly. "Diego, I need your _expertise_ to train the lancers. Whips, sword fighting, tracking, _anything_ you can do to help. There is no one else I can turn to, unless I want it known that I am incompetent and need to bring in help from another garrison to train them."

Diego stared at the man, his eyes narrowing.

The Alcalde gave a twisted grimace and shrugged. "Which may be true – the incompetent part. But I have no desire to let it be known outside this pueblo." An exasperated look of appeal. "_Please_, Diego. The lancers and I need to be able to keep peace in this town without your help." He rolled his eyes. "_If_ you want to _retire_, that is. Otherwise, I'll be sending someone out to your hacienda asking for your help as often as we need it."

Diego looked annoyed and wary. "Ignacio…."

"And something tells me that being a newlywed and running off to fight doesn't go hand in hand," DeSoto grinned knowingly at the caballero. "Victoria doesn't have to know about it. I know you wouldn't want her to be worried. Besides, I'm only asking for _training_, not for you to continue fighting real bandits."

Diego shook his head with a strained look on his face.

The Alcalde smiled wryly. "You don't have to give me an answer right now. You don't have to help at all. But if something comes up and I _need_ your help, be assured I will _at least_ ask. And I will make you wish you _had_ volunteered to train them." DeSoto's mouth quirked, then he broke out in a genuine smile. "Go. Victoria is waiting. You can talk to me later."

Diego stared at the man for several moments longer, thinking of the recent weeks the Alcalde and his father had been working together, helping the people of the pueblo. Finally he nodded slowly. "We will plan it out. When and where to meet, perhaps just a few lancers at a time. It would look less suspicious if only a few of them came to train somewhere at any given time." Diego looked thoughtful, a small grin on his face. "I _would_ like to stay out of sight as much as possible, being 'retired,' you know."

Now DeSoto's eyebrows rose. He nodded agreeably. "That sounds reasonable. The less indication of Zorro's presence about the pueblo, the better. People will believe that the lancers are the ones in charge of keeping the peace."

"And I can train them better when there are only a few to teach. The larger the number, the harder it is to make sure everyone is learning properly."

Again, DeSoto nodded. Then his eyes roved past Diego's shoulder to Victoria who was standing next to Mendoza at the open front door, listening to their conversation. "Your pardon, Senorita Escalante. I didn't mean to keep him so long."

"Just so he doesn't get injured, Alcalde," Victoria huffed. "Or else you will have _me_ to deal with." Her eyes looked daggers at him.

DeSoto laughed. "That would be a fate worse than facing Zorro himself! No offense," he smirked, nodding to a grinning Diego. "Now, go. The two of you have a wedding to plan, I believe."

"And your father will finally stop teasing you about grandbabies!" Mendoza laughed as Diego and Victoria rode off toward the de la Vega hacienda.

_**Fini**_

**A/N: Reviews, please! Even guests can leave reviews! We writers live for them!**


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